“We will announce some new names later today subject to the chairman and chief executive ratifying them,” said Evans.

“They do the business side. I have been told we’ve got three or four in the building and that gives me great pleasure.

“If Paul and I had been here in the summer this would have been a top of the table clash today – I 100 per cent believe that. We know what it takes to get out of this league and we’ve done it more than once.

“We have some very good players here and we need to help them.

“Players we don’t see as a part of it will get the opportunity to go and play their football somewhere else.

“We have to be fair to these guys. They have been more than professional since the day I walked in.”

He added: “The supporters here are going to enjoy a good 2017. How quickly we can get the players in and settled, we don’t know.

“But the supporters are the lifeblood of the football club and they have been short-changed here since the summer in terms of the players they are having to watch week in, week out with their hard-earned money.

“We are going to keep the better ones of those and add selectively to it. We won’t get them all right but you can put the kettle on we’ll get more right than wrong.”

On today’s 1-1 draw Evans said: “For 77/78 minutes in the game today we were the better side by a long way and probably should have put it to bed. But that didn’t happen.

“Then to be fair to Doncaster, when your manager is Darren Ferguson, you are always going to be resolute and have a go.

“They got the penalty and I think it was a penalty first sight, though I think Tommy Rowe has got the actor of the season for playing for it.

“I also saw CJ Hamilton get chopped when he broke through into the box, but there is no decision given which was frustrating.”

He continued: “We are disappointed to draw a game in which if we’d got the second goal, the game would have been dead.

“You have to punish the better teams as they are always going to be resolute and come back at you.

“We go into the New Year with character and discipline in the team’s performances and we need to add some quality to it.

“I can’t fault the players today. I said to a man at half-time if you match that endeavour in the second half then no one can come in and point the finger. We could hear Darren through the dressing room wall not so happy.

“But match fitness and getting people fit has been an issue for us. You have to say players have not been fit here, I think we showed that a but in the last 10 minutes today.

“Going forward they have to be fit. We have put a lot in today but you have to be fit enough to see these games through for 95 minutes.”

Evans announced after today’s game that loanees Alex Iacovitti and Oscar Gobern had been released along with strikers Darius Henderson and Adi Yussuf with more expected to follow them out the door.

Yussuf has already managed to secure an 18-month deal at Grismby Town.

Evans will speak to West Brom boss Tony Pulis about loanee centre half Kyle Howkins next week with the player’s loan up after Monday’s trip to Blackpool.

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